As We Always Were
by MoonlightWander
Summary: A series of short stories featuring the Sonic Underground. Because the bond between siblings is more than many believe possible.
1. Home

Of all the Sonic series I've seen, Sonic Underground would have to be my favourite, so I thought I'd have a go at writing some of it myself. I'm hoping to make this story longer than just one chapter, but it depends on when inspiration strikes. This particular oneshot is set directly after episode 6, when Manic considers staying behind at the city of Mobodoon and letting his siblings go on without him. And for anyone who's interested, the idea for the title came from a quote by Clara Ortega.

By the way, I write with Sonic being the eldest of the triplets, Sonia in the middle and Manic as the youngest. Just wanted to clear that up :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sonic Underground... isn't that sad?

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**Home**

A cool breeze winded its way along the edge of one of the few remaining forests surrounding the area of Robotropolis, rustling leaves and ruffling the quills of a young blue hedgehog who lay on the grass, his eyes turned toward the dark sky. He was unusually silent, and the light of the moon revealed his furrowed brow and the small frown on his face.

"Sonic Hedgehog, you'd better not be planning to stay out here all night."

Lifting his head slightly, Sonic turned to see Sonia standing with her hands on her hips in the open doorway of their small van. Her tone was scolding, but the expression on her face was that of a teasing sibling.

"Don't worry, sis, I was just thinking over some stuff," he replied with a forced smile.

At this statement, Sonia felt a soft concern tug at her heart. Sonic was not typically the kind of person who took the time to carefully contemplate his thoughts.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" The pink hedgehog asked, walking out onto the metal ramp and taking a seat at the bottom.

Never one to beat around the bush, Sonic propped himself into a sitting position and fixed his sister with a humourless look.

"Do ya think Manic would have been better off staying at Mobodoon?"

Sonia's initial shock at the question was soon replaced by confusion.

"Why do you ask that, Sonic?"

The older of the two siblings frowned as he relived the memories of that day.

"He just seemed really happy there, ya know?" he said quietly. "After all, he didn't exactly have a stable childhood. I'm sure the other thieves looked after him as best as they could, but he didn't grow up with a family…"

While Sonic's sentence trailed off into a wordless silence, Sonia didn't hesitate to answer.

"So, you think Manic could have had all that at Mobodoon?"

"Well, yeah."

"And what makes you think that he doesn't have it here?"

Somehow, that last remark seemed to hit home for Sonic. His eyes became unfocussed as he took in this new piece of information and Sonia gave a small smile before continuing.

"Manic's your brother and I know that you want what's best for him," she said, gently laying a hand on her sibling's shoulder. "Believe me, I do too. But he had the choice to stay behind… and he chose not to. You and I both know that our home is always going to be with each other, and now Manic does, too."

It took a few moments, but the blue hedgehog's face soon lit up with the trademark grin that many people had now come to associate with Queen Aleena's oldest son.

"Ya know what, sis? You're right."

Sonia beamed and closed her eyes as she ran a hand through her neatly styled quills.

"Aren't I always?"

Sonic smirked and leapt to his feet, holding out a helping hand to his sister.

"Remind me _never_ to compliment you ever again," he teased as they made their way out of the cool night air and back into the van, closing the door behind them.

"Where is Manic, anyway?" Sonic asked as he scanned the room.

Sonia shrugged and joined in the search, her eyes seeking out the familiar mess of green spikes that belonged to her youngest brother. When she finally found him, Sonia couldn't help but let out a small giggle.

Sonic turned in surprise to see his sister pointing at the three large seats at the front section of the van. Curled up in the middle was Manic.

Sonia glanced at her older brother and put a finger to her lips before carefully moving to stand at Manic's side. Sonic joined her a few moments later.

The youngest of the three siblings was fast asleep, a small smile on his face serving as the only sign of his pleasant dreams.

"You see, Sonic?" Sonia said quietly. "He belongs with us."

And Sonic believed her.

**End**

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This is my first time writing Sonic fan fiction, so any feedback would be great. Personally, I don't think I got the characters quite right but hey, there's always room for improvement :)


	2. Road Trip

Okay, firstly I need to apologise for how long it took me to get this chapter up. I planned to do it weeks ago but I had to go on a school camp, which was immediately followed by a family holiday – and then there's the fact that I've never been very good at time management. But, here it is! Hopefully, updates should come much faster now :)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing…except for the many random and worthless objects that are stashed around my room.

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**Gift**

_After 'Come Out Wherever You Are'_

Sonia sat with her chin resting in the palm of her hand and a dreamy smile on her face. Her other hand lay open on the old table of her sibling's current hideout, and in it rested a finely crafted, heart-shaped silver locket.

_I wore this at my debutant ball. I'm so proud of you. Love, Mother…_

The pink hedgehog felt the familiar burning sensation of tears welling up in her eyes, but held them in – if she did any more crying today, Sonic and Manic were never going to let her live it down. Still, the thought of her brothers was enough to make her want to cry even more.

Sonia knew that they cared about her – after all, they were family, but she had never imagined that they would go to such lengths just to make her happy. Her own debutant ball had been like a fantasy for Sonia, ever since Lady Windimere had explained it to her all those years ago. It was not something that she had expected her brothers to understand, but somehow, by some miracle, they had.

And if that wasn't enough, they had also organised a way for her to go, despite all the trouble it must have caused them. After all, Sonic had to arrange a meeting with _Bartleby_ – and Sonia knew how excruciatingly painful that must have been for her older brother. Not to mention, if Manic hadn't stolen the invitation, her brothers would never have even known…wait a minute, Manic _stole _from her! And Sonic had_ let_ him!

In less than a second, any trace of happiness and appreciation that she had been feeling disappeared entirely. Sonia's eyes narrowed dangerously and sent a burning glare towards the doorway of the next room, through which she could hear two hedgehogs laughing and joking.

In a few moments, the hedgehogs in question were going to be facing a wrath even greater than that of Robotnik…

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**Trust**

_After 'Dunes Day'_

After the whole experience with Ifucan and his desert tribe, Sonic decided on two things:

The first was that Manic has some serious trust issues. After all, he and Sonia hadn't even been the least bit suspicious about the leader of the Nomads, which was enough to make Sonic want to think twice before trusting any more of their new 'friends'.

And secondly, the next time his little brother mentioned that someone seemed 'creepy', it was time to do some investigating. Because Sonic wasn't about to let something like that happen to one of his siblings _ever_ again.

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**Road Trip**

_Anytime_

Sonic removed one hand from the van's steering wheel and unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a large yawn. The temptation to risk a glance at the glowing digital clock in front of him was strong, but he refused to give in. Knowing exactly _what_ ungodly hour of the morning it was certainly wasn't going to make him feel any better.

The van lurched suddenly and Sonic hurried to grab the wheel again, finally managing to straighten out the vehicle before any damage was done. He let out a sigh of relief and glared at the offending section of road through the rear-view mirror. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn that Robotnik had changed tactics and was now intent on murdering he and his siblings with 'killer potholes'.

At that thought, Sonic turned his gaze toward his brother and sister. From what he could tell, neither Sonia nor Manic had even noticed his little rumble with the road. In fact, Sonic was fairly certain that they hadn't noticed _anything_ in last hour that he had been driving.

To his right, Manic was staring blankly out the window. Every so often, his eyes would close and his head would droop until it was almost resting on his chest, before he would jerk back to consciousness and repeat the whole process again. And Sonia wasn't much better. She just sat perfectly still, a dazed look on her face as she absentmindedly ran a gloved hand through her hair. Sleep deprivation had turned his siblings into hedgehog zombies.

If that wasn't bad enough, Sonic soon felt his own eyes beginning to feel heavy. He shook his head from side to side, desperately trying to stay awake. He needed a distraction, and one came when he noticed something previously forgotten on the dashboard.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he silently berated himself for not thinking of the idea before. This action also caught the attention of Sonia and Manic, who snapped out of their trance and fixed their brother with identical looks of curiosity.

Flashing his siblings a trademark grin, he reached out a hand and flicked one of the many switches laid out before him. And suddenly, the previous silence was broken by the sound of a radio crackling to life. Sonic had no idea which station they were listening to – or even the song, for that matter – but his grin widened as he turned up the volume.

Sonic caught Manic's eye and saw a playful spark there before the green hedgehog whipped out his drumsticks, twirling them in his hands and beginning to drum on the dashboard. It only took him a few moments to tap into the beat.

Sonia rolled her eyes at this, but couldn't manage to keep a straight face. She listened carefully, and after picking up some of the lyrics, she started to sing. It didn't take long for her brothers to join in, and soon the van was alive with noise.

They were so caught up in the moment that even an army of SWAT bots would have struggled to get their attention – that is, until Sonic attempted an air guitar solo and nearly crashed the van into a tree…

The shocked silence lasted for all of five seconds, in which all three hedgehogs sat rigidly in their seats with their eyes staring blankly out of the front windscreen. Then the sheer silliness of the whole situation became apparent, and the siblings found themselves laughing uncontrollably – not at all helped by the fact that Manic had fallen off his chair and was now rolling around on the floor in hysterics.

They might be the royal children of Queen Aleena, destined to save the world from Robotnik's tyranny, but at times like this, their life just seemed to feel like one big road trip…

**………………………………**

Awww… I really like that last one :) After all, they go _everywhere_ in that van, and it's nice to think about a time when the siblings can just hang out together. Anyway, I had a bit of trouble trying to get the character's names right in this chapter (seriously, I saw about four different ways of spelling Lady Windimere), but apart from that, I think my writing's improving :) Reviews are always welcome


	3. Fear

Wow, it's been a long time since I updated. But don't worry; this fic is far from being abandoned. Inspiration has just been running a bit low lately. Still, I managed to fix that problem by watching more SU on Youtube :) Yep, I'm pretty sure I've seen every episode now. Anyway, on with the show!

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**Fear**

_After 'Sonia's Choice'_

Manic woke with a start, eyes darting erratically around the dark interior of the van. Desperately, he tried to control his breathing, which was coming in silent, shallow gasps. He could feel his heart hammering against his chest, and hear the sound of blood pounding in his ears. The noise seemed to fill the air, making it heavy… suffocating.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed that way, silent and rigid under his sheets, before the fear slowly began to recede. The visions that had been flashing through his mind faded, and he relaxed into the soft bedding beneath him.

Strangely, he found himself thinking that he should have expected this. It wasn't as if he was immune to nightmares – neither were his siblings. In fact, the terrifying dreams were beginning to turn into a common occurrence. If anyone had been keeping an eye on them, they would have noticed that it was no longer an unusual thing to find at least _one_ hedgehog lying awake after midnight.

But that wasn't the point.

He _should_ have expected this, because _nobody_ walks away from nearly being roboticised and is completely fine – despite how unfazed he may have seemed afterwards. His relief at being rescued and reunited with Sonic and Sonia had pretty much filled his emotional capacity once he was free. And it was only hours later – when he really had a chance to think about the situation – that the fear and doubt began to set in.

They'd had a lot of close calls – Robotnik would have been doing a pretty lousy job if they hadn't – but that one had been a bit_ too_ close for comfort. He thought back, realising once again just _how_ close, and shuddered. Yep, that particular memory wasn't about to be forgotten any time soon.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and decided to make the most of the few hours left before dawn; sleep was hard enough to come by as it was. Still, he found himself fighting his drooping eyelids, but exhaustion eventually won out over fear.

However, just before he slipped back into the awaiting darkness, he made a desperate plea that he would not dream any more tonight. Because he wasn't sure what state of mind he would be in if he looked down at himself again, and saw only red, unblinking eyes reflected in metal hands.

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If anyone else has seen that episode, you'll know hat it really _was_ a close call. Anyway, I have some ideas in mind for some more oneshots, but I don't know when I'll get around to typing them up. I really do want to make updates more frequent, but I'm just about to start my next school year so I guess I'll just wait and see :) Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome.


	4. Dawn

Look, everyone, it's an update! Hooray! This particular short was inspired by a quote from one of the earlier episodes (around the time when that Tarzan look-alike was training them) when Manic mentions something about being used to coming home around dawn. Anyway, I am _really_ tired now, so I'll just let you read for yourselves.

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**Dawn**

Sonic woke with a strange ringing in his ears. A dull grey light was creeping in through the windows of the van, stripping its interior of any colour. Vaguely, his still half-asleep brain registered this and reminded him that it was probably less than an hour before dawn.

But, wait…something about that wasn't right. Dawn? Why the heck would he be awake at this time? And what was that stupid ringing sound!?

Annoyed now, Sonic rolled over in his bed and cocked one ear, listening hard.

…No, not ringing, but drumming, and the occasional clash of a cymbal.

With a small frown, he pushed off his sheets and swung his legs over the side of the bunk bed before jumping down. He paused after landing, turning around briefly to check on Sonia's still sleeping form, and then made his way towards the door.

The morning air was crisp and cool, as Sonic stepped out onto the ramp. It was brighter out here than inside, but the surrounding countryside was still covered in the same grey tint. It was also, he observed, very still, with only a slight breeze rustling the leaves of the trees nearby. The whole atmosphere just seemed to ooze tranquillity, and Sonic fleetingly thought that, in times like this, it was hard to believe that Robotnik even existed. That is, until a loud thumping cut through the air.

Dragging his eyes away from the scenery, he turned toward the noise, which was now an unmistakable drum solo. A little way away he could see Manic, seated in front of his drum kit and completely lost in his own rhythm.

With a smirk, Sonic made his way over and stopped when he was standing a few feet behind his younger brother. Planting his hands on his hips, he began to tap his foot on the soft ground and cleared his throat loudly.

Manic stopped abruptly, the last beat of the drums echoing through the air, and whirled around, coming face to face with his speedster brother. Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…oops."

Sonic grinned. "Manic, I know this might be hard to believe, considering the very _reasonable_ hour it is, but the rest of Mobius might still actually be _sleeping_."

Manic cringed. "Sorry, bro, I didn't mean to wake you," the younger hedgehog replied sheepishly as he jumped off his stool and moved towards his brother. "I guess I kinda got carried away."

"You can say that again," Sonic muttered under his breath, some of the annoyance he had been feeling earlier once again making itself known. The moment the words left his mouth he saw Manic grimace and his shoulders slump. Instantly, the blue hedgehog wished he could take it back.

"Hey, don't sweat it, bro," Sonic said as he draped one arm around his younger sibling. "You should just be glad that it was me you woke up and not Sonia."

Manic smirked. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to disturb the princess from her beauty sleep."

"Exactly," Sonic agreed. "Although, you still haven't told me why you're up this early in the first place." He gave his younger brother a pointed look. Immediately, the green hedgehog shrugged out from under his sibling's arm.

"Seriously dude, it's _nothing_," he said stressed.

Sonic folded his arms over his chest and continued to stare the other hedgehog down.

"Okay!" Manic said, holding his hands up in surrender. Plastering a look of indifference onto his face, he replied, "Let's just say the my line of profession comes with a slightly different sleeping pattern than most people."

Sonic leaned forward slightly. "Explain 'different'."

Manic sighed. "Darkness is one of a thief's most valuable tools, _if_ you know how to use it. It's a perfect disguise; it gives you a place to hide and helps you to slip away from dangerous places unnoticed," he explained in words that didn't quite sound like his own. Sonic could only assume that this was one of the many 'lessons' he had been taught while living in the Thieves Guild.

"So," he continued with a shrug, "I spent a lot of time out during the night." He looked up at the still gradually lightening sky and smiled. "Some days, I would only just be getting home about now."

"Right…" Sonic replied distractedly. He probably would have come up with something better to say than _that_, if he hadn't found himself locked in an internal struggle with the small voice in the back of his head, which was, in great detail, reminding him just how dangerous it would have been for his little brother to be wandering the streets of Robotropolis after dark. Sonic wasn't entirely sure _where_ this voice had suddenly appeared from, but he did know that it had never bothered him _before_ he discovered that he had two long-lost siblings.

Thankfully, Manic was too busy reminiscing about his many late-night adventures to take much notice of his brother's vague reply. By the time he came to, Sonic had -with a great example of personal willpower- managed to subdue his protective instincts and compose himself.

"Anyway," he said, "Some habits are just hard to break, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean, bro," Sonic replied - because he did. They all had habits associated with their old lives that were going to be hard to overcome: Manic's thieving, Sonia's spoilt lifestyle, and his own habit of only working solo. They were all still adjusting to their new life, and Sonic could already tell that there was going to be some significant changes to each of them; but he had no doubt that they would pull through together.

The thoughtful silence didn't last for long; it wasn't their style. Suddenly, Sonic jerked one thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of the van. "So, what do you say we give 'sleeping beauty' in there a wake up call?"

Manic's eyes lit up with a mischievous sparkle, and within seconds he was seated back in front of his drums, twirling his drumsticks in the air above his head.

"Ready when you are!"

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Yep, this one is now officially my favourite :) Reviews and constructive criticism welcome :)


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